The present invention relates to a method of cleaning a member, used at the time of exposing a substrate via liquid, which is in contact with the liquid. Further, the invention relates to an exposure method of exposing the substrate via the liquid and a device manufacturing method.
In a photolithography process at the time of a manufacturing process of micro-devices such as semiconductor devices and liquid crystal display devices, patterns formed on a mask by illuminating the mask with exposure light are projected and exposed on a photosensitive substrate. In response to the increasing high density of micro-devices in recent years, substantial miniaturization of the patterns formed on the substrate in the photolithography process has been demanded. As one means for realizing such miniaturization of the patterns, a liquid immersion method as disclosed in PCT International Publication No. WO 99/49504 has been proposed in which the light path space of exposure light located between a projection optical system and a substrate is filled with liquid, and the substrate is exposed via the liquid.